Introducing 42: the Forthcoming Jackie Robinson Biopic That Already Counts the President as a Fan

Just as Clint Eastwood’s Trouble with the Curve—a fine baseball drama that boldly features Justin Timberlake clogging—was rolling into theaters last night, Warner Bros. premiered a trailer for another baseball drama, the Jackie Robinson biopic 42. From writer/director Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential), 42 stars Chadwick Boseman (Persons Unknown) as the groundbreaking athlete who, in 1947, became the first black man to play in the Major Leagues since the 1880s. Judging by the ambitious trailer, the drama, set for release in April, looks to be an epic illustration of the racial discrimination that abounded in pre–Civil Rights Movement stadiums, and that Robinson ultimately helped to end. The only point of controversy, at least among Internet audiences, seems to be Harrison Ford’s portrayal of Branch Rickey, the heavily accented Brooklyn Dodgers general manager who signed the Georgia-born player. Also noteworthy: the studio’s decision to again incorporate an anachronistic Jay-Z track to set the tone for the trailer of a period film. (Perhaps for good reason, since it works here.)